Lower League ratings / expectation in FA Cup games

Something that's bugged me for a while now is the way it doesn't really seem to take into account the quality of the opposition.

Playing as a League Two club, I made it to the FA Cup third round and drew Liverpool away.

We played well and lost 2-1, with the second coming late on when I'd pushed someone up to try and get an unlikely equaliser and we got ours in injury time. We'd had some other chances ourselves and hit the bar just before they got their second.

Now in reality, for a League Two side to push Liverpool all the way like that, away from home would be a mammoth effort. All eleven players would be 8 or 9/10 because they'd have to be. The fans of the League Two club would treat them like heroes.

Now, in the game, you lose this sort of match and the ratings are all 5.5-6.9 and the fans are 'slightly concerned after the defeat' and the morale of the players has dropped after the loss.

When I'm under a bit of pressure in the League, I could do without games like this going against me with the fans as well!

Had the same playing at home against premiership Bolton with BSP Blyth in FA cup 3rd round.

Lost 2-0 but both goals in last 15 mins and created chances throughout so was well chuffed with the performance.

In the press conference said i was pleased despite the defeat and 3 or 4 players get upset and morale generally lowered.

Seems that these were the most determined players in the squad and as such don't like losing to any opposition - seems a bit unrealistic

Your not the only one it has bugged me for years. I had it against Blackburn with Wycombe in the forth round of the FA Cup , we played them away and lost 2-1 when they scored in added time

I drew 1-1 at Barcelona with a 3rd tier team and the fans were disappointed!

I know SI's go to answer to any claims that the fans in the game react to results strangely at times is that 'fans in reality are stupid, so we made them stupid on the game', which is something I agree with in some respects. At the top of the pyramid, fans are impatient, deluded, and just morons in general. But lower league fans tend not to be, and in the example of a League 2 side losing away to Anfield, the fans in reality would just be chuffed to get a good away day. Didn't Burton draw Man Utd in the FA Cup sometime recently, and brought 10,000 to Old Trafford? I bet they had a superb time regardless of losing.

Now, in the game, you lose this sort of match and the ratings are all 5.5-6.9 and the fans are 'slightly concerned after the defeat' and the morale of the players has dropped after the loss.

I played Aston Villa while I was in league 2 and despite losing 2-0 my defenders all had 7s and got an okay in confidence from the fans, also I find if you tell the players there no pressure on them for both team talks the morale doesn't drop